Triangle

If Joni Mitchell had three brothers who could produce nothing but dry, white toast.

standard 60's white-guy rock not terrible, but not good either 2/5 unless it improves in songs 7-11 It didn't.

Thr singer sounds like Bob Dylan. This is not a compliment. The album was 28 minutes too long.

**Triangle, listening state: Sedated but cognitive functions unimpaired.** Are You Happy? - Immediately taken aback by how Bob Dylan-esque this all sounds. The instrumentation is a treat. I hear some sounds that epitomise the "Beach Boys" to some extent, so it's a good example of what the genre would become. It's pretty beautiful. Only Dreaming Now - Western much? Mystic Western music!!!!! Oh my god.... This is so amazing. I feel like I'm playing DnD with Arthur Morgan. Fuck off. This song is amazing. The violin work is gorgeous. It's so... Weird. They mix gypsy music and even accordion with what makes up psychedelic rock... But it's not rock.... But it is? It's amazing. This one is a musical orgasm for sure. The Painter of Women - Once more, Spaghetti Western subverted. Space spaghetti western? Moon Knight walks by a saloon in the city of Valentine in RDR2. Song to murder gunslingers to as a fantasy vigilante. So good I might add it to my playlist. "He is known through the land as the blind gentleman"????? Daredevil, then. The lyrics are bizarre. Deeply weird. It reminds me of Working Class Hero by Lennon in its folk hero lyrics. The Keeper of Time - Back to Alabama and bluegrass, pretty alright. But nothing too inventive. I take that back, this is another musical orgasm. Very Dylan-esque, almost Gainsbourg-like in its composition. I can even sense how it influenced bands like Dio or Blue Oyster Cult decades later. This was petty ballsy for sixty seven. It Won't Get better - This one is straight up Dylan. I don't know what to say about it. I fuck with the rhythm and the trumpets, they give tempo to the vocals-- The rhythm is simplistic until we break it down, they use percussion brushes and whips to give this tshk sound to drums. It takes some inspiration from the forties and fifties and brings it into psychedelic. Nine Pound Hammer - Maxwell's Silver Hammer? I can see the parallels. But it's more akin to some... What?! That guitar riff was so Eric Clapton, I can even hear some Physical Graffiti in there with the scale. The vocals are extremely great and mastered with harmonies in the background, easy to dismiss them at first, but they add to the song. The drumming keeps on with the brushes and whips. And the guitars weep, using bottlenecks and slides to get the perfect squuiiiiiiiier. Banger of a song. Would play this to muffle the sounds of a murder. Magic Hollow - This is gypsy magic!!!!! This is fantasy before fantasy existed!!! This is Dio before Dio existed!!!!!!!!!!! What is this sorcery? I can hear how Black Sabbath took inspiration. It's gorgeous. No, it's magic. The violin.... I'm in love? This is a song I would genuinely want to see in a movie where two characters get high and have sex. This is the sensuality of crazy. And I've Seen Her - Little country bluegrass ditty that feels somewhat out of place at first but I'm not falling for that again. It's going to switch up and leave me gobsmacked. Harmonica work is good? I don't know what else to compliment, the rest of the album's great production makes it into this song but this just feels slightly out of place after Magic Hollow. Ouch, the ending. Triangle - The eponymous and main track of the album... It starts off big with blaring horn and honestly kicks off like a campaign of dungeons and dragons. You feel like an adventurer leaving the Shire, like Bilbo Baggins. You feel it. Great depictions of greenery. "TRIIIIIIIII-AAAAAY-AYYYYY-ANGLE!" This is a precursor to what even Tame Impala does nowadays. Amazing song. Musical orgasm achieved. The Wolf of Velvet Fortune - Great arpeggio guitar start, makes you feel mysterious and like you're in a dangerous camp of bandits as an assassin. Unfamiliar breeze? Very Witcher-esque. A cross between Altaïr and Geralt. The flower crying for the sunlight is akin to humans living in darkness and this song is the light it brings to the blind. The mysticism of the lyrics definitely make this album something entirely different and the beautiful melodies and harmonies of this song make it my favourite of the entire album. Will definitely add it to my playlist and use it for my writing. It's a "delight" as the song puts it. It has Turkish undertones but goes back to being very spoken-word at times, with only the Spanish-ish arpeggio. It's a perfect song.I shed a little tear, to be sure. This song does not overstay its welcome, it's as long as it needs to be to finish the tale of our journey through the land of Triangle. We are reaching the end... "Goodnight" indeed. The harmonies kill me.... Wow. Old Kentucky Home - The last track goes back to being happy, which is a bit odd-- Seeing as it was mystic beforehand. But this song starts off with the simple joys of Kentucky. It's a very earnest song. It breaks into a choir, a full blown choir celebrating the sunshine on his old Kentucky home. It's bittersweet. We went from magic and mysticism to... Kentucky. And it feels reassuring. Especially when you hear "I don't care 'cause I'm alright." A great finish but not a showstopper. Final Score -- This is a concept album. This isn't your everyday country album. As far as saying it's aged better than the Beatles, I'm going to have to somewhat agree and somewhat disagree. I can say it has kept influence, even if people do not realise it, up to modern psychedelic and a lot of its elements have influenced a wider range of genres but the Beatles still do influence just as much, it's more focused within pop, a genre that I "dismiss" oftentimes. Overall, it had an amazing production and quality and I think it deserves a solid 4.2/5.

Un album très sympathique. A noter que ce groupe très influencé par les Beatles devait à sa création s'appeler The Beautles.

Yea I painted mini figs for D&D while listening to this one. No notes.

This was an interesting and easy listening. I liked the fantasy vibes but it I grew a bit weary by the end.

Another 60s pop/rock/psych band? Well, let's give them a fair... OH NO, HE SOUNDS LIKE BOB DYLAN. Admittedly, a Bob Dylan with a slightly better voice who can actually sing (be it in a style, that I really can't stand). The instrumentals are also not as boring. I still didn't particularly enjoy the album, but it deserves half a star bonus for being better than what I've heard from Dylan. 2.5/5

Man, this was obscure even for me! Deservedly so it seems, jangly psychedelia with a sub-Dylan vocal. A few styles attempted on this album, none of them well. "It Won't Get Better", should have believed them. Back to the footnotes, dandies!

This list has a lot more of these records than necessary. I just got one of these psychedelic folk albums two days ago, and here it's the same quiet jangly sound, the same shaky vocals, and the same ’60s Woodstock vibe. There's nothing special about it, and it didn't age well either. The only song that I enjoyed at least a little bit was The Wolf of Velvet Fortune, which had a nice dark, haunting atmosphere. Too bad the rest of the album didn't match up.

The soundscapes and lyrics are densely packed into the very brief songs, which are an expert mix of folk rock and psychedelia. This album caught me completely by surprise. Best track: The Wolf of Velvet Fortune

I was genuinely surprised in how much I enjoyed this album. It isn’t what I would normally listen to but it was easy to listen to.

At less than 30 min. this is a reminder of how much shorter albums used to be. Track 2 sounds like King Crimson might sound without Robert Fripp's guitar. I guess this LP was released before King Crimson's first so this could be the  influencer rather than influencee. Track 1 and the vocals in general sound like Bobby Dylan. This is a lovely contribution to the short but sweet psychedelic era. I'm glad the psychedelic era didn't overstay its welcome. I guess the record company execs had not yet  started to reward music created by formulae. On the last track psychedelic is left behind as the album ends with an excellent  foot stompin,  bourbon drinkin, good ole boys tune. I have no clue where that came from but I'm glad it dropped in.

This is very silly, as well as typically didactic for the era. These damn hallucinauts, telling me what to do! I’m glad it exists and I’m glad to have listened to it. I shall now thank The Beau Brummels for their incessant stoned advice and their story about a wolf of velvet fortune, acknowledge without condoning their slander of the people of Kentucky, and walk away from the campfire with a two in my pocket.

yeah nah. Not seeing the value in this.

I am listening to this as I write the review...not enjoying this and it's only 29 minutes long... I prefer Billy Joel's nod to Beau Brummel and it's only a one liner. This is just feels like country-psychedelia with a lot of nonsensical trippy and yet dull lyrics. I mean, Magic Hollow is embarassing. I am saying 2 stars but let's say 1.5

more folk noncing.

Drivel.

In general, I'm just not all that fond of "psychedelic rock." This album is no exception for me, but it did serve an important purpose: it helped me figure out why I've never really liked that subgenre. It didn't make sense to me for the longest time; after all, as an aging wanna-be hippie, I fit the bill. Listening to this album and really not liking it as it played, it finally occurred to me that one of the things I don't like about psychedlic rock is it's designed to be trippy and weird, but it comes across as too self-conscious and self-referential for me. I like discovering on my own the weirdness and the unusual in art, music, and life; I don't like things that self-proclaim their own weirdness. Anyway, even removing this album from all that, I'm still not interested. Moving on.

Happy upbeat tunes

Why do everyone hate on this? It's amazingly atmospheric and fascinatingly varied (something that don't happen too often in the folk scene). It also sounds a lot more well-produced and the performances are far superior to a lot of things from 1967. I am a fan!

This was right up my alley. A lot of fun beautiful songs that I’ll come back to. Have never heard of this group so need to dig into their stuff more. Rating: 4.8

A lovely album that's full of great playing, well crafted beautiful baroque style arrangements and featuring a sunny carefree vibe, perfectly encapsulating those halcyon days of the late sixties. There's plenty of highlights to pick from, like to the hypnotic 'Painter of Women' and 'The Keeper of Time', jazzy 'Nine Pound Hammer', the gorgeously atmospheric waltz 'Magic Hollow's, euphotic 'Triangle' and the trippy middle eastern exotica of 'The Wolf of Velvet Fortune'. The only mistep is the (thankfully brief) sing along chorus of the closing 'Old Kentucky Home'. Ps the mono mix featured on the 50th anniversary vinyl version sounds superb, especially on headphones. As the back cover states, a truly exceptional album.

Definitely the ur-late 60s San Francisco sound. Relaxing album, very forward lyrically. Fun quick listen

Hilarious folk pastiche. Beautiful.

Ett ganska bra album med bara bra låtar. En blandning av Bob Dylan, Beatles och kanske Jefferson Airplane. Hade aldrig hört talas om dessa innan men jag blev glad att få mer kunskap om psykadelisk rock. Känslan passar till många tillfällen så denna var lät att lyssna på flera gånger. Sparade majoriteten av låtarna så jag måste tyvärr ge denna en femma.

I had to double check that Bob Dylan wasn't singing when this first started... but once I heard a bit more the I could tell it wasn't quite him. What it is is some pretty great 60s tunes with lots of fun instrumentation. Loved the accordions, horns, tubas, banjos and other band instruments that kept this interesting and hopping. Now that I re-read the title not sure if I heard the triangle or not... nonetheless quite terrific!

Good album

Sounds like a mix of Dylan and the Beatles. I like it!

I had never heard of the group, u til I listened to this. Then magical realized that I’d heard them on the radio as a young girl at the swimming pool! That my high school babysitters played some of their songs!! Thoroughly enjoyable music!!

Topper

Great 60's pop. What's not to love?

I barely know what's going on here but I'll be damned if I'm not digging a decent amount of this; The Wolf of Velvet Fortune is a wild name and a cool song. I've never heard of these guys and am not entirely sure if this is Bob Dylan attempt or just a style they are going for which lands in the same spot but this is an interesting mix. Nice instrumentals. The title track is solid. I think I may like it more than it is objectively great.

Been waiting for this to happen. Had no idea at all who, what, when, or where about this album but enjoyed it. Great album. Songs work together but don't feel repetitive. Whimsical. Doesn't over stay. The Bob Dylan vocal comparisons make sense especially on the opening track but it works. I'll probably continue to study this one.

Surprisingly loved it

I was not expecting much from this album, but boy was I wrong. If you like the gentle semi-psychedlic pop of the late '60s then this could be just right for you. I loved it.

Amazing from the start to the second last song on the album.

Wow, I LOVED this. Great whimsical/fantasy-inspired lyrics, that old folk psych sound that I love, and a surprisingly compelling vocalist. Gonna have this one spinning for a while.

Fantastic concise album. I am a massive fan and could play this any day with no issue.

dude this is such a great, short album holy shit, 10/10

Very San Francisco. Elements of folk, psychadelia, bluegrass, flamenco, and classical music come together with fantasy-esque lyrics to create a surreal album that transcends classification. Lead singer Sal Valentinto's vocals echo Dylan in tone and delivery, but are unique in their own way. This album deserves several listens at the least.

Great Album - added to faves

This album reminds me of my parents.

I actually really enjoyed the whole album (or I guess really more of an EP). It was unique and just an interesting listen.

easy listening, sounded a bit like billy joel

Qué buena sorpresa de disco. Una mezcla balanceada de folk y psicodelia, a veces me recuerda a Rodríguez pero con mejor producción y obviamente a Dylan, pero con menos factor "gato enojado". Me encanta el detalle de los metales en el fondo. Mis favoritas creo que son "It Won't Get Better" y "Nine Pound Hammer"

Fun and folksy

Decent album. Instrumentals were good, but the vocals weren't for me. I didn't feel like anything grabbed me too strongly. 'Magic Hollow' was my fave.

didnt really know what i expected but for what this maybe lacks in overtly unique characteristics (vocals are a little dylan, arrangements are a littleeee rubber soul, even the songwriting is a little simon & garfunkel tho it might be a bit early) it certainly makes up for in being brisk and tight and tuneful. a lot more genuinely rootsy than similar pop music of the time, unafraid to mix psychedelic flourishes with overt country-isms. could deffo use a better mix for maximum comfiness as it can be a bit sharp to my ears (tho i suspect this is a fucky stereo rerelease) but all in all a nice little semi-forgotten gem i could deffo see someone really latching onto

The album starts off a bit weak, and doesn't really pick up til 'Keeper of Time', but from that point I liked all of it. I have no idea why the Wiki article or the reviews here compare the vocals to Dylan. I like when folk music combines the ordinary with something timeless, something mythical or historical. The best parts of the album accomplish that. 'Wolf of Velvet Fortune' managed to feel relatively large and epic, even though it's under five minutes and the entire album is about a half hour.

Aurinkoinen kitararock-levy! Kyl tälle nelosen kehtaa antaa.

Da hend sich grad paar tracks i mini Playlist Ine brummelt. Dur de Name und s "60er Jahr psychedelic rock" cover hani viel hoffnigegha gha, die am ahfang dur die meh country-style lieder aber chli enttüscht worde sind. Je wiiter ich is album glost han, desto meh hets herzli brummelt. Biz Ähnlichkeite mit de Beatles I guess. Eig zwüsched eme 3.5 und 3.75. Aber die brummels hend au es 4i verdient

It was nice. A little weird.

Off the rip, reminds me of like a Simon & Garfunkel meets Bob Dylan and Tommy James and the Shondells

This album was so cute. Loved the style, tone and everything about it was just so fun and effervescent and whimsical to listen to. The album art is also super cool. Will definitely look into these guys.

Would you look at that… it’s aptly called Triangle for the trio of big artists this album reminded me of: the Beatles x Bob Dylan x CCR (people from SF pretending to be from the country lol). Are You Happy? started off with big Bob Dylan energy in my opinion. I easily would have mistaken it as a Bob Dylan song. That carried through the rest of the album, with a clear British Invasion inspiration and a splash of CCR rollin down the river energy. Favorites include Only Dreaming Now and Nine Pound Hammer. Magic Hollow is so Over the Garden Wall, makes me want to rewatch it. Some of the other songs… I’m very over all the songs back then that were about girls in their prime and girls worried about their age and being plain and blah blah blah. Ick.

Quite delightful - it's like stumbling over an unexpectedly exciting artefact in a museum. Terribly dated, but also part of its charm. It's mid to late 1960s rock with a dash of psychedelia here and there, looking backwards to Bobby Vee, rubbing shoulders with the Beatles and maybe anticipating the Flying Burrito Brothers. Highlights are definitely when the boys got spooky, so 'Magic Hollow' and 'The Wolf of Velvet Fortune' (incredible song title) garner top marks. Nice to finish off with the Randy Newman re-working of 'Old Kentucky Home' too.

Bro it’s just Bob Dylan. How can I not like it?

Never heard of these guys before. At first I thought they were trying to be the beatles but then the instrumentation developed a ton over the course of the listen with psych elements. This album gave the typical 60s sound a nice twist and strayed away from the usual formula.

Right up my alley—whimsical, psychedelic folk with interesting instrumentation

If Quentin Tarantino mellows out and writes a road trip movie, this might be the soundtrack. At first, I was ready to give this album a lower review and move on due to the spacey songwriting and the lead singer's wavery vocals. Track 3, "Painter of Women" and the tambourine backing was the low point for me; it put me in mind of Bob Dylan's inscrutable lyrics played by the Beatles at their druggiest. I'm glad I continued to listen since the album takes a few tracks to get going, with "Nine Pound Hammer" as a highlight with it's unusual chord progression. I kept trying to name who the Beau Brummels remind me of: Van Morrison, the Kinks, John Prine, but nobody seemed to quite fit. I realized that they have more in common with other overlooked acoustic oddballs like Sixto "Sugarman" Rodriguez or Jim Sullivan, musicians with a similar, singular vision who were also tragically overlooked.

If the Beatles came from the south and not England, I think they'd have sounded like this. It sounds like these guys are copying the Beatles style, but it also sounds worse. It makes me want to listen to the Beatles instead. Either way. This album sounds nice. I think they did a good job and I think it captures a distinct Beatle sound, Revolver maybe. Anyways, enough about the Beatles. This album sounds pretty good.

Well this was fun and interesting. Feels pretty creative and innovative for its time. I like the psychedelic aspect, it adds a lot of character without being over the top. And I do hear Bob Dylan in him. Good stuff!

This was excellent, I really enjoyed it. I love discovering little gems like this, that's why I do this whole thing.

The Beau Brummels. Ooookay. Well, it sounds better than their picture looks. It's fairly nice, even. But it's also just another one of those white dudes' 60ies psychedelic folk records. What is the point here? "Collect 'Em All!"? How is this one an essential listen, compared - or in addition - to all the other stuff of roughly like that which I had already had? A bit extra on the whimsical side, yes? Eh. It has my sympathies, however, and gets an extra 0.5 for brevity.

Ver very good, caught me off-guard by how much i liked it

an interesting album. proto-gram parsons, in a way - country folk mixed with psychedelic pop. in terms of the album, i think it works better when it's leaning more into the country sound than the psychedelic sound. the country sound was novel for the time and feels a bit more adventurous than the somewhat milquetoast psych sounds here. it's not a bad album, but leaves a little more to be desired. there is something interesting about the album, though, that was pretty progressive for the time.

Positiv overraskelse! Lidt Bob Dylany

Ret fedt! Kan godt forstå at den her er på listen. Virker lidt som et godt psychadelia koncept album, men det indeholder også noget folk og kan godt lide hans stemme - lyder lidt ala Bob Dylan.

I am familiar with this band, having first heard as The Beau Brummelstones on an episode of The Flintstones. I have not listened to this album before. Overall a very enjoyable folk/country/rock fusion. 60's psychedelia with a very San Francisco sound. Musically several tracks have a very cool atmosphere and well-crafted lyrics.

Some good folky, psychedelicy, late 60s fun.

Ummmm...sure...I mean, it really didn't touch my soul, but it was it was fine.

Interesting and fun!

An album that could only have exited in the 1960s. In just 29 minutes, it shows a greater ability in writing songs than Ed Sheeran ever will and gives fuel to anyone that says modern music is crap.

Had no expectations, but this hit right today! Short and sweet. What a surprise.

I like this, definitely enjoyed.

I had never heard of these folks but enjoyed them. A familiar sound without being something I'd ever heard before. 60's psych rock, well produced. I'll keep my ears out for them again.

Yeah it's brit rock, but it was catchy and concise

BL: completely blind listen. Not sure what I’m in for. Interesting name, expecting 60s deep cut psychedelia, maybe half zombies half Beatles, But we will see. AL: this offered a very interesting listening experience. Crafting fantastical vignettes with sardonic character, reminiscent of somewhere between King Crimson and Pentangle. Considering the time period the production is phenomenal, the drums sound good if not slightly too soft. There are many songs off of this record which will now be making their way into my replayed. FT: “The Painter of Women”, “Nine Pound Hammer”, “Triangle” 4/5

This is this listener's first exposure to the Beau Brummels. Considered one of the first bands to achieve widespread critical acclaim out of San Francisco, Beau Brummels combines beat music with folk as an early example of country rock. "Triangle" is a pretty cool album with vocals that sounds like Bob Dylan, but with more upbeat sounds and better instrumentation.

Really enjoyable and short folk/pop/psych record. Wasn't sure at first but it grew on me and gave it a second spin. Definitely get hints of Zombies Odyssey & Oracle, Moby Grape, Dillard and Clark, all that stuff.

I actually really enjoyed this! the wolf of velvet fortune is a beautiful song

Really enjoyed this

Mér leist ekki á blikuna þegar fyrstu lögin runnu af stað, Dylan eftirhermusöngur og lítið spennandi stöff. En röddin venst vel og við nánari hlustun lögin eru skemmtileg, rífandi stuðbeat og rólegheit á víxl og fjölbreytt hljóðfæraskipan. Gefið þessu séns, segi ég.

A hootin' and a hollerin' time.

8/10. Very fun album all the way through. Toward the beginning/middle of the album it started to feel a little repetitive but some uniqueness came out toward the end raising it from 7 to 8 for me. Are You Happy and Nine Pound Hammer made the 5⭐️ list.

Decent 60s rock.

Nice, pleasant and interesting. 4-5

7/10 good band. Not my favorite

Getting an album like this is great. Aside from the big names, the less heavy psychedelic rock stuff has been a black box for me. This is a damned good album. And when the album finished and the algo started feeding related stuff -- you know, it was pretty cool. A lot of good groovy background music in there. Kudos, Brummels! Kudos.

I had heard this name. Thought it was a joke or made up. This album is great. It’s the perfect album for me this morning.

January 27, 2024 HL: “Are You Happy Now?”, “Only Dreaming Now”, “It Won’t Get Better”, “Nine Pound Hammer”, “Magic Hollow” Ye’d think I’d’ve had enough of this after all the Dylans, Simons, Youngbloods & Young Rascals. But no This was very enjoyable Short, but not slight. “The Wolf” is perhaps the most indulgent in 60’s psych-folkiness, but for the most part these tunes are concisely crafted and orchestrated without being overly corny or sentimental. The warm brass in songs like the title track and “It Won’t Get Better” enhance my enjoyment The following comparison probably doesn’t help anyone but myself, but I liked this more than Elephant Mountain (Youngbloods) and Oar (Skip Spence). Conversely, I liked Moby Grape and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (S&G) even more

Aun sin ser mi estilo preferido, suena bastante bien.

never heard before. interesting. thank you

This is an album I've always heard in the psychedelic rock circle, but never got around to listening to this until now. It's really just 60s folk rock with a tinge of psychedelia. Their sound is sort of a mix between american folk rock and british folk rock, which I found interesting. The Beau Brummels really do a good job of walking the line of psychedelia. I think the lead singer's voice reminds me a bit of Bob Dylan or Arlo Guthrie. Will definitely be listening again.

I'd never heard of these guys. Really glad I now have. These guys are very good.

M'agrada molt aquesta combinació de Dylan/Beatles rara que fan, però no m'ha semblat perfecte en el sentit que li faltava algun tema icònic. L'he gaudit molt igualment. Expected Lorenzo rating: 3

Het klinkt als een voorloper van country muziek, zowel qua muzikaliteit als qua teksten, en is daardoor de moeite waard.

Following almost a year's hiatus after getting a bit overwhelmed with this list and everything that life was throwing at me at the time, I'm ready to once again start trying to get through this list at the rate of one album per day. I don't really have much to say about this one but I didn't hate it! It blends rock, country and folk, and covers it in a generous amount of psychedelia. It's a bit silly and cheesy, and I couldn't take all of the instrumental choices seriously, but considering the general silliness of the album I'm not sure taking anything seriously was the point. I definitely agree with the other reviews (and the Wikipedia page!) that compare the vocals to Bob Dylan - It's Bob Dylan without the social commentary. Nevertheless, this was fine. It had some fun tracks, even if there were a few low points to me, but the whole thing was short enough not to overstay its welcome. and I could possibly see myself coming back to it. Possibly. But amongst a thousand albums, it doesn't really stand out to me all that much.

Really enjoyed it! Folk rock. A bit of Psych a great album! Added it to my library.